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“I could arrange a meeting for you if you wanted,” Stefano offered knowing the boy would jump at the chance. He’d seen the attraction flow between them and hoped he and Hailey were right about this. If he could get Demetrius out of their current space, their lives would be much easier.
“If Olympia wished for it, I certainly would not disappoint her,” Xavier replied and Stefano nodded, taking out his phone to send a message to Hailey to talk to Olympia.
∞ ∞ ∞
“Hailey, that looks stunning on you,” Olympia gushed as she came out in a new dress, the seventh she’d tried on for the group.
“Oh sweetie, it’s exquisite,” her mother agreed.
“It’s so close to pure white but it suits you so well,” Elena added as she studied the dress in the mirror.
“Stefano would say it’s too low,” Hailey countered with a grin. It didn’t truly feel like hers, none of them had so far and she wanted the one that would floor Stefano, have him begging her to make the marriage real.
“I can adjust the neckline on any dress here,” Alberto stated overhearing them. “If your fiancé is a bit more conservative, we can accommodate him well.”
“Stefano conservative?” Elena said laughing at the idea. “No, he wants something that will show just how beautiful his Hailey is but just hint at her cleavage rather than display it for all to see. I think something formfitting would be beautiful.”
“The less dress there is the easier it will be to arrange photos,” Leann added as she debated the idea. “You don’t want a huge bottom between you and Stefano while you dance.”
“Not when there’s already a height disadvantage?” Hailey mused. “Alright, why don’t Olympia and I take this half of the boutique and my mommas take the other, see what else we can come up with?”
She walked to the far side with Olympia and gave her a soft smile. “You seemed so comfortable at the office earlier with Elena and Mom while talking with Xavier.”
“He seems like a wonderful man, I’m sure if Stefano approves of him then it must be quite true.”
“Yes, I think Xavier’s great, he’s always polite and helpful, and I dare say the man was quite taken with you. Not that I blame him when you smile. I didn’t see much of it with Demetrius this weekend.”
“Stefano told you. Oh, I’m not angry with him, thankful that there is someone I can speak to honestly about everything,” Olympia admitted, and she squeezed her hand tightly in comfort. “I was a fool to trust Demetrius, but he was so charming, seemed so sincere…”
“That is Demetrius for you; I was a lot like you as a teenager. I was fifteen and ‘in love’ with Demetrius, by sixteen I thought he was the one I wanted to be with forever, but thankfully Stefano stopped me, showed me who he really was. He regrets not being able to stop him with you and that’s why he’s pushed for this marriage.”
“Truly?” Olympia asked and she nodded.
“Just between us, Stefano caught me waiting in Demetrius’ bed for him to come home, wearing a negligee that I now shudder at the memory of,” she stated lightly browsing the racks. “Stefano came into the room seeing the light on and found me there, yelled at me, hurt my feelings and made me cry, but now I am thankful for that because it showed me who Demetrius was and what his game is.”
“He hates Stefano. I heard him and Kyra plotting ways to ruin the wedding. Demetrius said the perfect way to knock Stefano off his ladder was to take you away from him. He told Kyra that he would find his way into your bed and then reveal it to Stefano, break his heart and destroy him for Elena loving him more than Kyra and him.”
“That will never happen, and as for you being forced to marry Demetrius…Stefano has agreed not to press it, allow you to find some happiness for yourself such as we have.”
“He has? My father would be angry if I cancelled the engagement.”
“Unless he saw how happy you were with someone else?” Hailey suggested with a smile. “Stefano likes Xavier and if I had to guess I’d say you happened to like what you’ve seen of him too. What if we were to arrange a quite dinner for you to simply talk with him, see if there’s even a potential for going somewhere?”
“You would do that for me?” Olympia asked as her eyes misted over in shock.
“I have firsthand experience with both Demetrius and Kyra. I would not wish them on anyone let alone someone as kindhearted as you are Olympia. Don’t let them make you hard. If I didn’t love Stefano, I would never agree to be near them.”
“You truly love him, don’t you? I knew there was someone who had his heart,” Olympia admitted giving her a smile when she nodded. “When Stefano promised me that he would see that my honor was restored I half expected his next words to be that he would marry me…that idea terrified me just as much as the idea of marrying Demetrius does. Not because I think that they’re the same, quite the opposite really. Stefano gives his whole self, whereas Demetrius gives nothing but illusion. No one would ever believe that Stefano and I were intimate let alone in love, wishing to marry quickly. The instant I saw him with you, I saw that part of him he always kept contained come alive and it’s amazing. His passion is still contained and that is what would terrify me with a man like him. When he gives over to that, you know it’s hopeless to rein it back in.”
“True, there are still days when I slide from loving him to hating him in an instant, but the moment he pulls me into his arms I’m his and nothing but that matters. I get insanely jealous thinking of the women who’ve had him before me…I want to erase all of them.”
“You will be the only one that matters come your wedding night, even now in his mind you already are his one and only. That’s what he’ll show you that night and it will be incredible. As for Athena, I say good for you for kicking her to the curb.”
“Thank you…want to hear a truly wicked idea? I think we should do our best to convince Stefano that Demetrius should marry Athena.”
“Oh, that would be a match made in hell, wouldn’t it?” Olympia asked with a laugh.
“I do believe so,” she agreed. “So, what do you say to dinner with Xavier? You can stay at my apartment tonight because I know Mommas will be back tomorrow. I snuck a glance at their date book, and they’ve arranged a consultation with a top decorator to help with the reception décor.”
